Western psychology and philosophy
offer a wide range of views on the role of emotion in making
a good life. Here are a few relevant views:

Secular moral philosophy
focuses on democracy and reason.

Religious moral philosophy
speaks of the destructive nature of some emotions and the improvement
of human qualities through religious practice.

Science sees
emotions as having a physiological basis, and this raises further
questions as to human nature and the possibility of pacifying
destructive emotions.

In the West, we see morality is essential
for the functioning of society, and emotions play an important
role in defining what is moral and what is not.
Working with emotions is thus seen as important for social
interaction.

We'll see in the next lesson that this is
an important distinction between Western and Buddhist views
of emotions. Westerners tend not to focus on having a harmonious
inner emotional life but rather on self-esteem
and self-accomplishment as positive emotions.

Why do we start
an exploration of destructive emotions with a discussion of
views on morality? We do so because our views on human
nature — what are we really like deep down inside — profoundly
affects our view of what is destructive as well as where to
focus one's efforts to overcome destructive emotions

To explore what
is and is not destructive we must also look at what we believe
makes a good person and whether
we believe there is a goal
that all humans seek.